Who Do Ya Love?
When you're hurting inside and you want instant relief who do you turn to? Be honest now and think about the last time things weren't going too well. What did you do? Who or what did you turn to try to ease the pain? Was it the pan of brownies calling you at 10:00 at night? Was it that credit card that has nearly reached it's limit? Was it the work you thought just couldn't wait til the next day? Was it the glass of vodka or snort of cocaine? What was it? Think about it.
When you hurt how do you try to deal with it? How do you feel afterwards? Worse? Depressed? I thought so. It was only a momentary fix, wasn't it? And one that doesn't seem to work very well. Instead of making things better you only feel worse.
Don't lose heart! You're suppose to feel worse! That is guilt talking to you and unless you stop and listen to it you are going to keep repeating the same fruitless, destructive pattern. That depression is suppose to be signalling you that what you are doing is wrong and that you need to change. You are running to the wrong source to relieve your pain. You are running to an idol you built for yourself and guilt is letting you know you have sinned.
"And God spoke all these words: 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God'." (Exodus 20:1-5a). In case you didn't get the gist of that last phrase, it's stated even stronger in chapter 34:14: "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."
What do you think of that? God is jealous of that pan of brownies, of that credit card, of that vodka, of your work and of anything else you turn to solve your problems. When you don't turn to Him, He's jealous. Why? Because it shows who or what you really love. And it's not Him.
Above everything, God want's your love. Remember the most important commandment? "The most important one," answered Jesus "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength'." (Mark 12:29, 30) Couple this with what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other."
You can't run to that pan of brownies and say you love God. You have to make a choice. If you are afraid that giving up that pan of brownies is too risky then God has a challenge for you: "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." He will not disappoint you. He has already shown how much He loves you by making you feel guilty, pointing you to Him. Now it's your turn to take the next step.
Confess that you have an idol that you love. That's right. You have to admit that you love that idol. That's the truth, isn't it? Why else would you run to it everytime it calls your name? Second, you repent by choosing to replace that idol with God. You need to fall in love with God and out of love with that idol. King David wrote, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you."
Ask God to show you how much He loves you. The more you know how much He loves you, the more you will fall in love with Him. It's no different from when a man meets that special woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He thinks about her, he wants to be with her, he wants to do things he knows pleases her. It's no different with God. Spend time with Him. Get to know Him. He will become your Love, your Confidant, your Savior. Everything else will naturally follow.
© 1998 Patricia K. Holder